Josh
Hankemeier (12-10-99)- All my life I have wanted to see
a real Muppet. On Tuesday, November 23, 1999 I got my chance. I went to
see "The Vision of Jim Henson" exhibit in Bettendorf, Iowa at
the Family Museum of Arts and Sciences.

I was awestruck.

Here are
the actual Muppets they have on display:

Big Bird

Ernie
(with Rubber Duckie)

Bert

Prairie
Dawn

Elmo

Two Gawky
Birds (the fifteen-foot birds in the Bruce
Forsythe episode)

Dr. Teeth

Rowlf

Swedish
Chef

Mahna
Mahna

Clueless
Morgan

Mad Monty

Polly
Lobster

Four Doozers
with equipment, Doozer constructions, and a Fraggle Rock stalagmite

Two creatures
from Brats of the Lost Nebula

Aughra

A Garthim

Digit

Pinocchio

Three
members of Gonzo's family, including the UberGonzo and Gonzo himself

Many original
sketches by Jim Henson and Brian Froud hang in the exhibit, along with
exclusive photos I have never seen anywhere else of Jim and his colleagues
at work on various Muppet productions. Video clips of Sesame Street translated
in different languages, as well as footage from the Creature Shop are
displayed. Also displayed is a Maquette of the Crystal Chamber from the
Dark Crystal.

Also,
there are original pieces from the Kermitage Collection such as "Arisfroggle
Contemplating the Bust of a Twerp", "The Sleepy Zootsy",
"The La Danseur", "The Smooch", "Pig Before a
Mirror", and "The Marriage of Froggo Amphibini and Giopiggi
Porculini". A three dimensional model of "The Marriage…"
is displayed, with Piggy and Kermit around four feet tall. Foo-Foo is
there as well. Excellent, high-quality photos (8 x 10s) of The Electric
Mayhem, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Sam, and Rowlf are also displayed.

One thing
that stood out among all the others was a table lumped with original foam
scraps, fur, feathers, and other things you would see in the Muppet Workshop.
Earl Sinclair's foot, parts of Fieries, a Doozer repair kit, a radio control
device, and a Ninja Turtle head are among the scraps.

It was totally
breathtaking, seeing so much all at once. I loved every minute of my stay
in this exhibit (I was in there for two hours). Words cannot describe
how exciting it was to finally see dozens of authentic Muppets face to
fabric face. The highlights of the exhibit for me were seeing Big Bird,
Dr. Teeth, and Mahna Mahna. Like I said before, it has been one of my
goals to see just one true Muppet in person, no matter who it was. Instead
of one, I saw several, and I had, as Jim would say, "a lovely time"!

If you can,
please visit this exhibit. It will be WELL worth the admission you pay!
I went twice!

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